How HR could have prevented "siesmic events" at Air France

Following the Air France disaster, where a pair of executives had their shirts ripped off their backs in protest against the company’s job cuts, the question remains what more could have been done to manage the chaos.

Bryan Adams, CEO and Founder of marketing agency Ph.Creative, spoke to Executive Grapevine, claiming that the answer lies with brand engagement. He advocates a preventative rather than a curative system, saying: “The Air France crisis is a poignant representation of the final outcome of low employee engagement. Redundancies, even large-scale cuts like the proposed 2,900 at Air France, should never lead to physical violence.

“These cuts appear to be the tipping point of a larger problem, one which can build-up and bubble to the surface when employees don’t feel valued or, crucially, when they feel their voices cannot be heard. In this situation, while it’s important not to over speculate or jump to conclusions, it seems that from the employee’s point of view, their only way to get attention and send a message to the higher-ups was to commit a significant breach of conduct and violence.

“This stems from a marked lack of freedom of expression, for if employees feel there is a system in place where a two-way dialogue can take place, seismic events like these can be avoided.”